


not a character flaw

by larkofchaos



Series: Henry Oak and his Boys [5]
Category: Dungeons and Daddies (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Panic Attacks, This has been half finished for liek two months and I finally finished it., Why?, because I kin them, i'm a sUCKER for trans masc oaks who have panic attacks, that's why
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28138413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larkofchaos/pseuds/larkofchaos
Summary: Henry spent most of the twins formative years fearing that they'd develop panic attacks like he did, his fears are proven true when Lark calls him from the school bathroom.
Relationships: Henry Oak & Lark Oak
Series: Henry Oak and his Boys [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891336
Kudos: 21





	not a character flaw

**Author's Note:**

> any Spanish in this... if it's wrong... I don't speak Spanish and got all of these nicknames/titles/petnames from my two friends who know like,,,, half of Spanish. 
> 
> At this point, even if it's not completely correct, I'm too attached to Henry "Papi" Oak and Lark "tikki" Oak-Garcia to change them. /hj

For as long as Lark Oliver Oak-Garcia was alive, Mercedes said he was just like his father. This similarity started showing more when Lark hit puberty, and he became a carbon copy of Henry. The only difference between them was that Henry was white, and Lark certainly was not. Henry saw this similarity in almost everything Lark did at this point. In his speech, his body language, his food preferences. Hell, even the way he slept was similar. This similarity did bring up concerns for Henry, however. Specifically regarding Lark’s mental health. 

Lark had ADHD, there’s no denying that fact. But, Henry dove deep down the ADHD hole when Lark was diagnosed, and the older his son gets the more he worries about those sister-illnesses he found. The ones that usually come hand-in-hand. And the genetic disorders Henry could have possibly passed down to his sons. Specifically, his panic attacks. He worried about his boys inheriting those more than he probably should. Enough to send himself into one over fretting about it. The last thing Henry wanted was for his beautiful boys to feel that- that  _ hopeless.  _ That crushing feeling of his lungs caving in on themselves and his whole world crumbling around him as he forgot how to breathe and could only be a witness as his mind spiralled down, down, down until Mercedes managed to pull him back into himself. That was a feeling he never wanted Lark or Sparrow to have. 

Henry lived with this silent fear for years. Through their elementary school days, he had to learn the difference between meltdowns and panic attacks, and just as quickly learned Lark had yet to experience such an occurrence. And he thanked whatever god or deity had yet to curse his son with such a day ruining experience as a panic attack yet. And he continued to thank them as they went through middle school and their first year of high school without an issue. 

It’s not that Henry was ashamed of his own problems, it was never that. It’s always a terrifying thought that the beautiful boy he’s raised from when Lark’s head could fit in his hand to now as he stood nearly an inch taller than his father could experience that helpless feeling Henry found himself having almost daily now. He really should get some help for it. 

Today had gone by simple enough, with general house cleaning and time-passing activities. The boys were at school, Mercedes at the studio, and Henry off work for the day after having the flu the past few. It was calming to be in the empty house, a time for Henry to completely relax and just hang out until the twins got home. Usually he’d be watching Paeden today, but currently Paeden was staying with Carol. Henry’s not sure  _ why _ Paeden’s staying with Carol, but according to Darryl, the kid just liked her company a whole lot. Which, yeah, makes sense. 

* * *

Lark messed with the phone in his hands, cursing himself as his fingers shook too much to actually open the contacts or anything. He mumbled to himself and crossed his legs, acutely aware of how small the bathroom stall felt and how hard it was to breathe. Lark doesn’t even know what’s triggered this. All he knows is that Sparrow laid on him and now he’s having some kind of absolute nightmare meltdown in the school bathroom. Papi would know how to calm down. Lark knows how to calm down someone having a panic attack. He’s helped Grant through them a million and one times. But, he had no idea how to calm  _ himself  _ down. This was new, uncharted territory and Lark hated it. Hatred it so much. 

“Hey Google, c-call- call Father.” He spoke into the speaker, and for once in his goddamn life that voice recognition worked. Thank god it did. There’s no way he’s getting a call otherwise. He pressed the phone to his ear, praying Papi would pick up the phone. Please, Father, pick up the phone. 

“Hey, tikki! What do you need, kiddo? Aren’t you in class?” He picked up on the second ring. Lark felt his hands shake even worse. He doesn’t think he could stand up if he tried. His legs felt detached from the rest of him and he felt the walls closing in around him, the whole world felt like it was coving in, coming in all at once. His backpack was too heavy on his shoulders, his shoes too heavy on his feet. 

“I- I think…  _ fuck…  _ I may be having a um- a panic attack and I… Am unsure of what- to- to do.” He sounded too winded. He knew he did. But he felt the weight of the pyramid on his chest all over again and he couldn’t fucking breathe. “Papi please come pick me up- I-I’m in the bathroom by the front entrance and- and the- the…” 

“Hold on, tikki. I’m- I’ll be on my way in just a second. Don’t hang up on me, okay? Are any of your friends near you so you can ask them to come sit with you? Do you want someone to come sit with you?” Lark wracked his brain. Trying to remember which classrooms were where and who was in them. Had the bell rang yet? He doesn’t remember. How long has he been in here? He doesn’t remember. He knew Father was trying to help, but that was too much thinking. Too much. Everything felt just way too much. 

“I-I don’t… I’m…” 

“Okay, okay. That’s okay. That’s alright. Just stay on the phone, kiddo. You have your bag with you?” Lark looked to the neon green backpack that was ripped and covered in more patches than the original bright green color. Yeah. He does. “I’m getting in the car now, can you lay down and set it on your chest, kiddo? The pressure should-” Just the prospect of putting weight on top of him made his whole body spike into a panic mode. 

“No! No…. No no…” Lark pressed against the back wall of the stall, noting how cool the tile felt against his skin. It was a cool, calming feeling. But the tiel warmed from his body heat too fast for it to be more than a fleeting pleasure. 

“Okay! Okay, that’s okay. No sweat. Just- just take a deep breath, okay? Deep breaths, Lark.” Lark registered his words. But barely. He just barely heard Henry counting a breath in and out for him, and he tried to follow but he couldn’t take in a big enough breath. He was quickly falling into hyperventilation territory, and he knew that. He knew that. 

* * *

Henry hasn’t driven over the speed limit in years, he never did, really. But, he’s making an exception today. He’ll drive as fast as he needs to to get to his son as fast as possible. Sure, the school will throw a fit when he walks in without approval or whatever and just goes straight to Lark.  _ The bathroom in the front.  _ He was making a mental map of the school as he walked in and ignored the receptionist trying to stop him. 

He could hear Lark in the handicapped stall. But it was locked and Henry couldn’t get in. He knocked on the door and could hear Lark jump from inside. 

“Tikki? Tikki, I need you to unlock the door.” Henry kept his voice comforting, quiet even. He heard shuffling. He noted how he could see Lark not standing up and just stretching enough to reach the door lock. Henry gently pushed it in. And there sat Lark, phone still on and laying on the floor, curled in himself and shaking. He took a seat on the floor next to him, running through everything he could do to help him. He could tell it wasn’t near as bad as it was on the phone. Must've peaked when Lark called him. But Lark was still stuck in his head. “Is it okay if I hug you, little lion?” Henry asked, waiting patiently for an affirmation or a denial. Rather than either, Lark latched himself onto Henry’s side.

Henry paused for a moment. Lark was not the hugging type. He rarely ever got hugs from Lark, Lark just… Didn’t hug people. Which is completely fine. Henry gets it. He wrapped his arms carefully around Lark, trying to piece whatever happened together from the broken sentences he was trying to say. Luckily, Henry was a pro at piecing together incomplete thoughts. So, rather than try anything that would make Lark think about it more, he pulled his son in closer and let Lark cry into his shoulder, mumbling reassurances to him all the while. 

Over the course of the next five minutes, Lark settled down, settling on just leaning on his father and picking at the loose threads on his jeans. The air still felt tense and Lark hated it. He hated that he just had a whole breakdown like that. No supreme leader should ever have breakdowns like that. How was he supposed to go home and rule Oakvale if something as simple as  _ weight on his legs  _ sends him into a full blown panic attack? Pathetic. He’s-

“Lark, stop beating yourself up. Come on, let’s get home, kiddo. I’m signing you out of school.” Henry climbed back to his feet, offering Lark a hand and… God, Mercedes wasn’t wrong when she said Henry had made a little in Lark. From his curls to his eyes, to the fact they both wound up being trans men, Lark was a carbon copy of his dad. 

Lark took Henry’s hand and pulled himself off the bathroom floor, grabbing his phone as he stood up. 

“We should get Sparrow.” Lark mumbled, stuffing his phone in his pocket and picking up his bag. He stood still as Henry brushed form stray bangs out of his face and pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

“Yeah, I’ll go call him out of class. You wanna come with me or go wait in the car?” Henry asked, walking with Lark out of the bathroom and down the hall toward the receptionist desk and the front entrance. Lark didn’t answer this time, instead heading out to the car silently. Henry watched him for a moment before turning to the receptionist, wondering how quickly he can schedule Lark with his psychiatrist to try and sort out if this something that’ll need medication like Henry, or if it’s okay to be left untreated for now. 

**Author's Note:**

> One day Sparrow will actually be in one of these, but today is not that day. Don't ask me why I subconsciously dislike Sparrow and love Lark with my entire being I genuinely cannot explain to you why I just.... I don't know. 
> 
> Anyways, I made a DnDads Discord and y'all should dm me on Tumblr (@larkofchaos) for the invite link because it's very poggers y'all


End file.
